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2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE review notes

January 29, 2014

DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: I'm kind of surprised to find myself writing this, but around $75K doesn't seem like too bad a deal for this 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE. It's big, attractive and sumptuous inside, and the supercharged V6 does a fine job moving the brute around. Add in all the extras -- aluminum tread plates, adaptive cruise control, huge moonroof -- and you're cruising in a loaded Rangie for the price of a decent BMW 5-series or Audi A6. I would have put this truck closer to the $100K mark not only based on its equipment level, but also based on the sticker prices of other, similar Land Rover products I've driven.

I heard some complaints around the office about the new blown V6, and I'm not among its detractors. I found it adequately smooth for a big SUV, and there was plenty of power whenever I needed it. Don't think the smaller engine turns the Range Rover into a Toyota Prius, though: As the EPA estimates -- and our real-world numbers -- show, this is no fuel sipper. The gubment says 19 mpg combined should be available; though we struggled to get near 16 mpg the Range Rover Sport was here during a huge holiday snowstorm followed by “Polar Vortex” week, so there was a lot of low-speed, high-load driving combined with extended morning warm-ups.

For those, the Range Rover Sport was downright lovely. The truck activates the heated windshield and rear defroster automatically on startup; combined with toasty heated seats and an equally warm heated steering wheel, the Rover was a welcome escape from what's become one hell of a winter. A note for those in northern climes: the Sport's stock rubber is not great in snow and ice. The SUV's adaptive traction control programs work beautifully, but they're let down by the tires which simply don't get adequate traction on slick pavement. Combined with a high center of gravity and 5,000 pounds to slow down, it was remarkably easy to get the Range Rover to lose its composure on snow-covered roads.

Overall, though, for those who wonder about Jaguar/Land Rover's future offerings -- and the viability of its wonderful but thirsty 5.0-liter V8 -- the V6 Range Rover Sport shows that the brand's, ahem, ample baggage can be successfully carried by a smaller, more efficient powerplant. The fact it can be done at what's almost a value price is truly impressive.

The 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE offers a great deal for the price.

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: I'm one of the detractors of the supercharged V6 in this Range Rover Sport HSE not for its power, but for how unrefined it sounds. With 4,700 pounds to move around you really do need to be firm on the right pedal to get the Range Rover Sport going at a brisker pace. The engine doesn't get punchy until the middle of the rev range and above. When the engine is working hard it just sounds coarse, and at idle it's also loud. I will say that our test vehicle had more than 8,000 miles on the odometer and all of those are nasty miles by gung-ho car writers. I think I'll have to reserve my final judgment on this engine until I get into a fresher example later on.

What can't be attributed to this particular car's rough life is the interior's central touchscreen interface for the navigation and entertainment features. We've hammered on Land Rover and Jaguar for the past few years over it, but it is warranted criticism. The response to inputs is slow, the menu changes are slow and there are too many screens to work through. This is where I think a central control knob would do a lot of good -- like the ones BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz use with their infotainment systems.

But you know what? I still liked my time driving this Range Rover Sport HSE. Yup, even with the engine that didn't seem like it was in tip-top shape and the daily frustrations with the touchscreen. It's the commanding view from the driver's seat in a cabin that is well assembled and sporty dynamics for a large, heavy vehicle with a higher ride height that make me like this Range Rover Sport. I shuttled people around, crisscrossed town running errands and loaded it up with a bunch of cargo, and would gladly do it all over. There was a good amount of highway driving during my time with it, and I still couldn't even crack the 16 mpg mark average. Depending on how you look at it, that's not too terrible, and is no doubt better than what you would get with the upgraded 5.0-liter V8.

Despite the snow we've had, I didn't think the car handled too terribly on the Continental CrossContact LX Sports, which are all-season tires. Yes, there was some sliding around, but grip in the snow was enough to get down the road. On clear and dry pavement, they were reasonably quiet, and provided decent handling and turn-in response.

But Andy is right: this car's as-tested price isn't bad, considering. If you're careful with the options packages you could have yourself a Range Rover Sport for under $70K.

Andrew Stoy
- Digital editor Andrew Stoy is an avid enthusiast of all cars who has spent the past 15 years writing about the automobile in print, online and for advertising and PR firms.
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